The Trail of The Fern
by Mistygrass
Summary: Ferntail's goal to a strong warrior started the day she was told of her slight disability. As she tries to reach her dream of becoming a warrior, she also struggles with family loyalty and clan loyalty. Especially when her brother seems to be following a darker path then her sisters and parents.
1. One: Sunleaf's Kits

Chapter One - Sunleaf's Kits

It was a gorgeous day in Riseclan and Duskshadow was enjoying the peaceful place with his apprentice, Forestpaw. They had just gotten back from training and Forestpaw was tired, but happy with his progress. Duskshadow couldn't keep the proud look off of his face as they brought in loads of freshkill, impressing the elders. The kits, queens, and elders moved forward, ready to eat the food the two had just brought in.

Suddenly, one of the kits skidded into the clearing, panic written across her face as she panted, he small body trembling. She padded up to Duskshadow, ignoring her mother's call. The kit had a light grey pelt and blue eyes, a carbon copy of Featherheart, her mother.

"Duskshadow!" Silverkit yowled as she finally reached the warrior, her blue eyes filled with tears as she lowered her head in respect. The dark-haired warrior looked concerned once Silverkit lifted her head.

"What is it?" Duskshadow mewed, giving the kit a questioning look as he licked his paw. He knew that this kit was being serious and not pulling a joke like the others would've done. Silverkit was one of the only mature kits in the nursery, always helping the mothers who were pregnant, brining them freshkill and scolding the younger ones. And for Silverkit to be so scared, something bad was happening.

"Sunleaf has already started birthing! She has already had two kits and is still in extreme pain" She exclaimed, fear evident in her voice, which was cracking. Duskshadow's eyes widened and he darted towards Sunleaf's den, Forestpaw not far behind.

Sunleaf heard the other cats whispering urgently to each other, but ignored then as waves of pain flashed through her body. A tiny kit wriggled out and she guided it to her belly, and started licking her fur backwards to keep her warm. The kit started wailing softly, her eyes shut tightly.

Duskshadow entered the den and stared his mate in wonder, shoulders tense with worry for her "She's beautiful just like you," he murmured as he watched his kit calm down. Sunleaf gave him a weak smile before also glancing at her kit, delight shining in her eyes.

"Why don't we call her Fernkit, for the way her tail spreads out at the tip?" Suggested Duskshadow as he gave his mate an affectionate lick on the cheek. Sunleaf looked thoughtful for a moment and was about to reply when more pain washed over her. Duskshadow soon realized what was going on and quickly ran to his den, searching for the poppy seeds that the medicine cat had given them for when Sunleaf's in pain.

"Go get Mintleaf, tell her that Sunleaf is giving birth to our kits!" Duskshadow literally roared to his apprentice. The young apprentice's eyes widened in shock of seeing his usually level-headed mentor freak out. He nodded his head and swiftly left, in search for Mintleaf.

Duskshadow was by Sunleaf's side the minute she let loose another wail, ready to comfort her. He muttered a quiet 'thanks' to his apprentice, who was already gone. He pawed the poppy seeds towards his mate and urged her to eat them. "They'll help numb the pain," he encouraged her softly. She smiled gratefully at her mate and swallowed the poppy seeds, the effects happening almost instantly.

Sunleaf's body relaxed and she purred contentedly until another kit, the fourth one, was born. "It hurts!" Wailed Sunleaf, her body trembling, the poppy seeds already wearing off.

"It's okay Sunleaf," whispered Duskshadow, licking the golden-haired she-cat's face again. She sighed in relief once the pain faded to a dull sting. The kits were quiet, sleeping by her stomach for more warmth.

"I think that was the last kit," she says, her voice raspy from screaming. She stares at her dark-furred mate and felt tears of happiness fall from her eyes. "I'm lucky to have such a wonderful mate like you, Duskshadow."

"No, I'm lucky to have you." He replies full-heartedly, oblivious to his apprentice and the medicine cat standing by the opening of the den. He shared tongues with his mate, exhaustion taking over as she fell asleep.

"She birthed earlier than expected," mewed Mintleaf as she padded towards the two cats. Her brown and white pelt was dirty and leaves were muffling her voice. She set the leaves down and pushed them to Duskshadow, who was laying protectively next to Sunleaf. "These are to help with the after-pain of the birthing. I'm sorry I didn't come soon enough, I had picked herbs for the other mothers who were also about to birth kits."

Duskshadow nodded before pushing the leaves towards his mate, silently reminding himself to make her eat them when she wakes. "It's fine, everything turned out well in the end. She birthed four wonderful kits," he purred, licking the small kits.

"What are you going to name them?" Asked an eager Forestpaw, who was now following behind Mintleaf. Duskshadow tilted his head in thought while Mintleaf grinned at the apprentice who was also carrying leaves in his mouth. Forestpaw grimaced at the sour taste as he set the next to Mintleaf's pile.

Duskshadow glanced at the four kits and noticed Fernkit, the only one who was named immediately after her birth. She had a fern-like tail and had a short-haired, gold and white pelt, similar to her mother's. The first kit to be born was a duller yellow but had longer fur like her father. She was slightly bigger than Fernkit and was like sand. The second-born was a male with dark brown fur and firm shoulders, Duskshadow knew he'd be a strong tom one day. The fourth kit was a golden brown and had a smooth pelt, she was small and would probably be the runt of the quadruplets.

"The first kit shall be Sandkit and the second is Woodkit. Fernkit was the third-born and the smallest shall be Honeykit." Duskshadow says distantly as he licked each kit lovingly. He was obviously unable to have an ongoing conversation, his attention focused completely on the kits, so Mintleaf nudged Forestpaw out of the den.

"Come on little one, leave your mentor alone." Mintleaf orders firmly, giving a threatening glare to the green-eyed apprentice. He nodded, his fur burning as he ran in the opposite direction. The medicine cat sighed as she made her way back to the herb garden, thinking about Sunleaf's kits.

"To think she had birthed so early...this might cause a problem." Mintleaf muttered to herself. "I guess we'll find out when the time comes."

~End of Chapter One~


	2. Two: Fernkit's Disability

Chapter Two - Fernkit's Disability

Three Moons Later...

Worry filled Sunleaf as she tried to help her third-youngest, Fernkit. In her mind, she skimmed through any type of information the other mothers had given her. They had told her about what to do when the kit couldn't sleep and how to get the kit to talk, yet they hadn't spoken a word about when the kit refused milk.

Fernkit let out another pitiful wail, her paws covering her ears. "Stop," she screeched loudly as she scratched the top of her head. "My stomach hurts!" Sunleaf licked Fernkit's pelt, hoping to comfort her kit, but it didn't seem to be helping.

Sunleaf glanced at her mate, desperate to stop Fernkit from crying. "Duskshadow, is Mintleaf coming yet? Fernkit's only getting worse and worse." She says sadly, her heart clenching in pain for her daughter. Duskshadow frowned at his familys' pain before nodding.

"Yes, she's on her way. How are the others?"

Sunleaf smiled slightly at the thought of her other kits, each one was healthy, thankfully. Fernkit was the only one who was unable to be fed properly, she refused to drink Sunleaf's milk.

_'Maybe it's because I'm incapable of taking care of my kit,'_ Sunleaf silently notioned to herself, guilt welling up in her.

Duskshadow must've been able to read his mate's mind because he started licking her cheek. "It's not your fault," he mewed softly. "Fernkit is probably just sick and needs some medicine, Mintleaf will fix her. Don't blame yourself dear, it can't be helped."

Sunleaf couldn't help but smile at her mate's optimistic words, it seemed like he always knew the right words to say to make her feel better. She opened her mouth to reply when Fernkit wailed again, this time it was louder and more heart-breaking.

"Shh Fernkit, it's okay. Mommy and Daddy are here, everything will be alright," she cooed to her young kit, tears leaking from her sky-blue eyes.

Sandkit growled quietly at her brother, who was trying to get to their mother or more milk. Woodkit whimpered when Sandkit pushed him away roughly, her eyes dark with anger. Honeykit was hiding behind her older sister, eyes peeking with curiosity.

"Stay away Woodkit, stop being so greedy when our sister is in pain!" Raged Sandkit. Woodkit just sat there pathetically, crying.

"What do you mean Sandkit? Fernkit is in pain?" Asked Honeykit, horror flashing through her eyes at the thought of her other sister. Honeykit, surprisingly, had been quite bigger than Fernkit. Making Fernkit the runt of the four, much to the shock of Duskshadow and Sunleaf.

Sandkit's eyes lost their glare and she gave her sister a kind grin. "Yeah, Fernkit isn't taking mom's milk and she's getting really hungry. Imagine going without food for days! Fernkit has been crying ever since this morning and mom is getting worried. I hope she gets better soon."

"I hope so too! Maybe we can play together, I bet she'll like playing with the mossballs that Forestpaw always brings!" Exclaims Honeykit, her enthusiastic manner brightening the atmosphere, only to be darkened by Woodkit.

"It doesn't matter, if she refuses to eat, then she refuses to eat," huffed Woodkit. "It doesn't mean that it should stop _us_ from having a good time and enjoying our meals!"

Honeykit gasped at her brother's outrageous words and started crying. Sandkit just stormed towards him, her paw raised to push him down. "Don't speak about our sister like that! She's part of our family and we never leave our family behind!"

Before Sandkit could hit her brother, Duskshadow stopped her. "And what do you think you three are doing?" He asked strictly, scaring his kits. They scrambled into a line, eyes avoiding his sharp gaze. "One of you explain."

"It's Woodkit's fault," says Honeykit, guilt shining in her eyes, she knew she shouldn't be ratting her brother out...but what he said was too cruel. "He said that Fernkit doesn't deserve to eat and that we shouldn't be worried over her."

Duskshadow tensed and turned to Woodkit. "Is she speaking the truth, Woodkit?" He asks in a low voice. Woodkit glares at Honeykit before smiling innocently at his father.

"Of course not! Fernkit's my little sister, I would _never_ say such a thing." Woodkit spoke in a fakely sweet way and Duskshadow spotted his lie immediately.

"You liar!" Yowled Sandkit as she crouched to attack him, only to be stopped by her father again. He was staring at Woodkit, eyes unreadable.

"Woodkit, you should never say such a thing about anyone, even your greatest enemy." Duskshadow says sternly, but the anger in his eyes were dulled by the fact that Woodkit was his own son. Woodkit ducked his head and started shaking.

"I'm sorry father," he murmured quietly. Duskshadow nodded before padding up to Sunleaf and Fernkit, who were now being tended by Mintleaf.

"I can't believe you!" Snarled Sandkit as she herded Honeykit to the otherside of the room. "What kind of cat are you to be so horrible! You're worse than a mouse-brain! Come on Honeykit, we're going to make up some games to play for when Fernkit gets better."

"Okay sister," whispered Honeykit as she glanced back at Woodkit sadly. "I'm sorry Woodkit, but I couldn't let you get away with saying that."

"What do you mean she has a disability!" Spluttered Sunleaf at the insult, pulling her kit closer to her stomach. "She's perfect in every way! Don't you dare insult my precious kit!

"Sunleaf, I'm not trying to insult her. I'm just saying that she was the unlucky one of your litter and happened to be weaker. She was able to drink your milk when she was younger because she wasn't as weak, but now that she's growing...Her strength just can't keep up with her body and it's starting to affect her." Mintleaf tried to placate Sunleaf, explaining what was happening in a soothing voice. Soon, Sunleaf calmed down and licked her mate's shoulder.

"So what's going to happen?" Asked Duskshadow as he shared tongues with his mate.

Mintleaf sighed tiredly before staring at Fernkit, whowas now sleeping with a full stomach. Mintleaf had to give her an agent that gave her more strangth for that one moment. The kit would be out for the night, but at least she wasn't hungry.

"I don't know Duskshadow. I honestly don't know..."

~End of Chapter Two~


	3. Three: A Reluctant Acceptance

Chapter Three - A Reluctant Acceptance

3 Moons Later...

"I hope I'm called Sandswirl when I become a warrior!" Exclaimed Sandkit as she daringly leaped at a falling leaf, only to fall onto her butt. Honeykit and Fernkit giggle to themselves while Woodkit just mocks her.

"How ungraceful," sneered Woodkit as he glares at his three sisters. "I cannot believe how pathectic you all are, shouldn't you be worrying about getting killed? Especially because we all know Fernkit will drag you two down."

Suddenly, the area seemed to darken and Sandkit crouched as she yowled in rage. "Stupid fox dung! You'll be the one dragging us down, not Fernkit! She'll become the greatest warrior alive and you'll be eating your tail!"

"Don't listen to him Fernkit." Honeykit comforted her sister, who was looking at the ground with guilt. Fernkit turned away from her sister and started walking away. She inwardly yelled at herself to not cry, because she knew it would only satisfy her brother and his need to see her suffer.

"You should listen to him Honeykit, same with Sandkit. He's right, not matter how much you sugarcoat it, I'll never be a proper warrior. It's pathetic that I won't be able to properly protect my family and clan! Soon we'll be apprentices, but I'm not sure if they'll accept such a weakling like me." Fernkit spat out bitterly, hiding her pain with anger. Tears started spilling and she tried to hide it from Honeykit, who looked upset with Fernkit's behavior.

"Don't think like that Fernkit! You're amazing and I'll always be your greatest supporter, just like you'll always be my role model." Honeykit cried out, chasing after her sister, only to trip.

_'I'm sorry Honeykit, but how can I be your role model when all I can do is complain about my weaknesses?'_ Thought Fernkit, sorrow filling her as she imagined Honeykit's disappointed face.

_'Let's face it...I'll never be a true warrior, even if I have a warrior name.'_

Fernkit's heart pounded anxiously as she waited to be called. It was finally time for kits of six moons to become apprentices and Fernkit happened to be one of those kits.

For moons she had dreamed of this moment, when she'd be like her father, a warrior who brought pride to their clan. And now it was finally happening, yet Fernkit couldn't conjure up enough courage to be grinning confidentally like Sandkit or smiling sweetly like Honeykit.

Why was she so nervous?

Oh right, she had a bully for a brother, an insane mother, a sweet younger sister, a strong older sister, and the best father in the world. It was kind of hard to feel confident about herself when she was surrounded by over-achieving and slightly frightening relatives.

"Sandkit, please step forward," says Brookstar, her voice commanding yet kind.

Sandkit padded up to their leader, she tilted her chin with pride as she got closer to Brookstar. Brookstar looked at the kit with amusement, reminiscing about her past self. Like Sandkit, she had been confident and loud and ready to serve her clan with every ounce of strength she had.

"Sandkit, you will now be known as Sandpaw."

Fernkit smiled while Honeykit cheered quietly, both happy for their sister. Fernkit heard Woodkit grumble darkyl to himself and she tried to ignore the feeling of betrayal that creeped into her heart.

"Darkcloud, you will now be the mentor of Sandpaw. You are an exceptional warrior and hunter, I hope you pass these qualities down to Sandpaw." Stated Brookstar. Darkcloud leaned down and Sandpaw cheerfully bumped her nose against her new mentor's. Darkcloud chuckled softly at his apprentice's eagerness.

Brookstar purred before saying, "Honeykit, please come here."

Honeykit hesitantly padded towards Brookstar, a shy aura surrounding her as she bowed before her leader. "Honeykit, you will now be known as Honeypaw."

Sandkit started cheering Honeypaw on loudly, Fernkit more quiet than her.

"Your mentor will be Rainstorm." Rainstorm steps forward and tilts her head to touch Honeypaw's nose. "Rainstorm, you've mentored Redfur wonderfully, and now I expect you to pass your teachings down to Honeypaw."

Rainstorm nodded before leading her new apprentice to sit next to Sandpaw, who was glaring at Woodkit. Honeypaw licked her sister's cheek affectionately in order to calm the boisterous she-cat down. Rainstorm shared a smile with Darkcloud before they turned back to Brookstar.

"Woodkit, please step forward." Brookstar ordered, tail flickering. Woodkit grinned ominously and walked up to his leader, not even bothering to show his respect. Brookstar scowled in annoyance before speaking again. "Woodkit, you will now be known as Woodpaw. your mentor will be Acornheart."

Acornheart mewed before touching noses with Woodkit, who was hiding his disappointment behind an arrogant grin. _'Why did Sandpaw and Honeypaw get the good mentors, mine sucks.'_ He mused to himself, following Acornheart as she sat by the other mentors. He scooted away from his sisters and the mentors.

"And last but not least...Fernkit, you may now step forward." Brookstar intructed, watching in slight guilt as the small kit padded up with joy.

_'I don't know if I should let her become a warrior...She might die out there.' _Brookstar thought to herself, worry getting the best of her. Fernkit bowed in respect, much to Brookstar's appreciation.

_'At least three of the four kits gave me the proper respect,'_ thought Brookstar in slight annoyance as she named Fernkit.

"Fernkit you'll now be known as Fernpaw," says Brookstar, voice full of reluctance as Fernkit, now Fernpaw, walks forward. Brookstar felt her smile become more genuine as Fernpaw's happiness showed through her slightly confident grin.

"You're mentor shall be-"

"Wait!" Woodkit's voice echoed throughout the silent cats. "Are you sure you want such a weakling joining our ranks?"

~End of Chapter Three~


End file.
